Saint Peter's, Seton Hall and Rutgers ready for the unpredictability of March Madness
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Let the madness begins.
The NCAA men's basketball tournament gets started this week. Several teams from the area made the cut, including Saint Peter's University, which is going dancing for the first time in more than 10 years.
The team's reaction to Selection Sunday said it all -- total jubilation. Saint Peter's players, coaches and fans reveled in their first selection to the "Big Dance" since 2011.
Senior KC Ndefo said it's a big deal for the team and the school.
"This is the time that, us as players, we live for. We dreamed about it all our lives," Ndefo said.
Saint Peter's won their conference title game Saturday to secure a spot in the tournament. The Peacocks, the No. 15 seed in the East Region, will play perennial powerhouse Kentucky in Indianapolis on Thursday. The underdogs from Jersey City are looking for a Cinderella story.
"Kentucky is a tough opponent, but Saint Peter's is a tough opponent, too. So everybody's got to watch out," junior Matthew Lee said.
Saint Peter's head coach Shaheen Holloway, who played for Seton Hall and was part of a squad that went to the Sweet 16 back in 200, said in March Madness anything can happen.
"We're ready. These guys put the work in. We played a good non-conference schedule for this reason, and we'll see what happens." Holloway said.
Seton Hall is going back for the fifth time in the last six NCAA tournaments. The Pirates, who celebrated at head coach Kevin Willard's home on Sunday night, will make the trip from South Orange all the way to San Diego to play TCU on Friday night in an intriguing 8-9 matchup in the South Region.
And let's not forget about Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are also rejoicing. They are in the tournament for the second straight season, this time as an 11 seed, and will face Notre Dame in the First Four play-in round on Wednesday night in Dayton Ohio.
Back at Saint Peter's, the matchup with Kentucky will be the first time the schools have faced each other. You can watch it here on CBS2 on Thursday night.
Saint Peter's players and coaches will leave for Indianapolis on Tuesday. The school is planning a student send-off on campus for the team's departure.